Documentary explores women's rights within religious communities

Monotheistic religions and feminism—do they go together? And if so, how? Inna Shevchenko, an activist with the Ukrainian feminist group Femen, poses these questions in this thought-provoking documentary.

Challenging because the conversations Shevchenko has with female theologians, atheists, anti-abortion activists, and representatives of various denominations, pull the viewer back and forth—between anger and reconciliation, tolerance and total incomprehension, long-held convictions, long-cherished hopes, and many new insights.

Shevchenko’s research journey takes her through the U.S., Germany, England, and France. Directed by the Austrian duo Verena Soltitz and Arash T. Riahi, she visits churches, mosques, and synagogues to examine the communities’ feminist views and their commitment to change.

In doing so, she deliberately seeks out figures who stand for reform, such as the Austrian Bishop Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger, the transgender rabbi Abby Stein, or the priest Shannon Sterringer. They all advocate for women’s equality within monotheistic faith communities.

Tenacious and critical

Inna Shevchenko, who is shown in the film in the famous scene where she cuts down a massive wooden cross in Kyiv with a chainsaw, sometimes finds herself pushed to her limits. For instance, when she shows a Muslim woman a misogynistic passage in the Quran, or when a devout Jewish woman tells her how she uses her wig to express that she belongs to her husband.

She persistently asks critical questions and is often disillusioned. Yet Shevchenko remains open-minded, listens, and refrains from judgment. And yes, it happens that the viewer occasionally thinks, “She can’t just let that slide.”

Ultimately, however, the film’s strength does not lie in exposing misogynistic beliefs. Rather, it is precisely through Shevchenko’s respectful approach—these encounters on equal footing—that it becomes clear how much women, however differently they may interpret sacred scripture or feminism, always find common ground in their womanhood. And stand together.

*This text by Miriam Margani, Keystone-SDA, was produced with the support of the Gottlieb and Hans Vogt Foundation.